Discover how one former educator's transformative journey from breaking barriers as a girl quarterback led to founding Breaking the Huddle Education—a mission to empower children worldwide through culturally inclusive stories and social-emotional learning.
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Influential Woman · Education, Publishing, Children's Books
Kim Chaffin
Founder, Breaking the Huddle Education, LLC
Hillsboro, TX 76645
2Years experience
1Article published
Her Story
About Kim
Kim Chaffin is the founder of Breaking the Huddle Education, LLC, a literacy and leadership initiative dedicated to helping children see themselves represented in the stories they read. A former educator, coach, and athletic director with 17 years in public education, she played college basketball at the University of Texas Permian Basin before beginning her career in teaching and high school athletics. Over nearly two decades, she built a reputation for leadership, mentorship, and a deep commitment to student development both on and off the field. Following the passing of her father, a 24-year deputy with the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Department and a lifelong advocate for helping others, Kim transitioned out of public education to continue her mission in a new way. She founded Breaking the Huddle Education to merge her passion for sports, storytelling, and youth empowerment. Through her work, she creates children’s books centered on girls in sports—often placing them in roles where they are traditionally underrepresented—while honoring her father’s legacy of service and compassion for underserved communities. Today, Kim partners with individuals and organizations to provide customized storytelling experiences and curriculum designed to build literacy, confidence, and leadership skills. Her work extends beyond books, aiming to shift narratives and expand representation for young readers everywhere. Guided by the belief that “being yourself is your superpower,” she continues to build a growing movement that inspires children to see themselves as leaders in their own stories and in the world around them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kim
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to adaptability, passion, and a genuine commitment to lifelong learning. I believe that the desire to help others, to teach, and to continue growing are not soft skills. They are the foundation of any meaningful work. Every day that you stop being curious is a day you fall behind. Staying passionate about what you do and remaining open to learning something new, regardless of how much experience you already carry, is what drives sustainable success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to remain a student in every room you enter. Expertise is not always tied to age or title. Some of the most valuable lessons come from the most unexpected sources. If you have never played a sport before, the child who has one season of experience knows more about that game than you do in that moment. Humility and genuine curiosity, the willingness to learn from anyone who knows something you do not, are among the most powerful professional tools a person can carry.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do not allow setbacks to become stopping points. A no is rarely permanent. It is redirection, and the ability to find a new route without losing sight of the destination is one of the most important skills you can develop. Learn to separate yourself from rejection, take the lesson it offers, and keep moving forward.
Network with intention and without hesitation. There are more people willing to help than you might expect, many of whom have navigated the exact same challenges you are facing. Women in particular have shown up for one another in ways that are genuinely powerful. Do not be afraid to reach out, ask questions, and accept the hands that are extended to you. Your network is not just a professional resource. It is a community, and building it early will shape the entire trajectory of your career.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Put people first - at their forefront, no matter what, over everything, honestly. That's what matters most to me in everything I do.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Kim
Creating Room in the Huddle
From a girl on an all-boys football team to an educator empowering children worldwide through inclusive storytelling.
Why I Started Breaking the Huddle Education
There was no team for me to play on.
That is where this story actually starts.
I was a young girl who wanted to play football, and there was not a single girls’ team for me to join. So, with the support of my family, my friends, and my school community, I did the only thing left to do. I tried out for the 7th grade boys’ team…
And I became the quarterback.
I did not set out to make a statement. I just wanted to play the game I loved, and the people around me made it possible for me to do that without ever making me feel like I needed permission to take up that space.
That experience shaped the rest of my life more than I understood at the time. I went on to play basketball in college for four years, and from there I built a 17-year career in public education as a teacher and coach. I served as English Department Chair, Girls’ Coordinator, Assistant Athletic Director, and, in my final year, Athletic Director. I loved that work. I loved the kids in each school I served, the seasons we built together, and the small, daily proof that showing up for a young person changes what they believe is possible for themselves.
Then I lost my father, and something in me shifted.
I realized how much had changed, both in the world around me and in what I wanted to give to it. I was no longer willing to stop at teaching and coaching the kids in one school system at a time. I wanted to reach families and children far beyond those walls. I wanted to find a way to carry my father’s goodness and kindness forward in a form that could keep growing long after I was the only one carrying it.
That is how Breaking the Huddle Education was born.
I write and illustrate children’s books, and I create the curriculum that goes with every single one. That second part matters more to me than people often realize at first. Seventeen years in a classroom taught me that resources are everywhere, but it is rare to find those with a “whole child” focus. I wanted to build something different—stories that center kids who have had to fight for opportunities other kids are simply handed, paired with real social-emotional learning and content built around the standards children are actually expected to meet.
The heart of every book is the same idea: a child’s true superpower is believing in themselves. I want every kid who opens one of these books to see a piece of themselves on the page, and to walk away a little more certain of who they already are.
Recently, that mission grew in a new direction. I began a full cultural transformation of my stories, starting with a complete shift from English to Spanish—not just a translation, but a true reimagining of the story for a new audience. It will not stop there. I plan to keep building toward other languages and cultures because the belief at the center of this work does not belong to one country or one language. It belongs to every child who has ever needed someone to tell them they already have what it takes.
Breaking the Huddle Education is only a few months old. I have new ideas nearly every day, and the path ahead keeps opening up faster than I expected. But the “why” behind it has not changed since the day I first stepped onto that field as the only girl on the team. I want every child, everywhere, to know that their story belongs in the huddle too.
Kim Chaffin
Founder, Breaking the Huddle Education
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